You'll need help
by SonicE1337
Summary: "She's slippery, always able to evade detection. She's like a ghost..." Detective AU, co-written by Lucafire1.
1. Chapter 1

Rain in the city it felt like bullets as it pierced the body. Any normal person would have just stayed inside, but not the detectives. They had a late call that night, and as they each made their way to the crime scene one detective's mind was more focused than the others.

Marco, in his mind, went over every detail of this serial thief. She always made her way into the places she robbed unusually, they never made sense, and most of the time seemed impossible. However she was doing it, she was good. This newest case, was one of the impossible ones, the item in question, the Golden Jaguar, was a valuable artefact in the art community. It was held in a 12 inch secured vault, and as some might think that that wasn't the impossible part, it was the fact that the vault sat at the top floor of the tallest building in town, with a team of guards that kept watch over it all day. She would've had to break in without someone seeing her, and that's where Marco's mind left off as he reached the building.

It was an older building, it's chips and scratches showing the age of it, and the matched so. He walked towards the elevator, and rode up to the top floor. He whistled as the numbers changed on the dial. As the doors opened, he was met with his chief, the elusive Jackie Lynn, the apple of the young detective's eyes. He turned his face in embarrassment as she reached in, and pulled him out of the elevator. Her face was one of rage, she was unpleased by the thief's trickery.

"This is the sixth time I've had to stand here and be screamed at by some fat old geezer! Are we any closer to finding out who this thief is?" Jackie asked furiously. Marco sighed, and turned to face his enraged leader.

"Not much, just that the only time she was actually spotted, which was only from the window of an opposite building during the second heist, was that she was female. Other than that, we still haven't been able to figure out how she gets in these places without being spotted." Explained Marco, much to the chagrin of the Chief. She looked down in disappointment, and then returned to the crime scene. Marco followed, and witnessed the normal. The confused guards, the angry owner, and the intrigued detectives. As he looked inside, he noticed the thief's calling card, the spray painted Butterfly. She had left it at all major crime scenes, and had been attributed to a dozen more with no insignia. Marco's mind began to race, he had so many questions, and the answers were nowhere to be found.

"What does she want?" he thought aloud. A quick flash of white lightning flared across the scene, giving it an artistic look. Marco decided he wouldn't find many answers at the scene... He never did. So with a dramatic swing of his dampened leather cloak, he walked back towards the elevator, ready to turn in for the night. Another flash of lightning, the sound of thunder erupting soon after. The flicker of light reflected against the puddles that had been strewn about the city. One of these puddles reflected a rather tall building across the road from the scene. It was nowhere close to the height of the opposing building, but it's height wasn't something to focus on. At the top, a blackened figure sat on the edge of the building, her legs swinging over the edge.

She held an item in her left hand, casually holding it like it was only a toy. She brought the item to her face, eyeing it closely, trying to make out the details in the dim lighting, but it was proved to be in vein. She looked back at the building across the road, watching through the windows as officers worked as best they could. There were people dusting for prints, taking photographs of the scene, even some drawing hairs from either the carpet or the furniture. It was quite funny for her to watch. She laughed lightly in the darkness, another flash of lightning revealing her bright and energetic blue eyes to no one. Thunder clapped once more and she decided that she was contempt with watching the police force search for things they won't find. She stood up from her sitting position and turned around swiftly.

Marco had just exited the doors of the scene and was now in the on-going storm that raged through the city. He sighed depressingly, his inability to find this master-minded thief was really starting to bring him down, he decided he would need to sleep before his head blew a fuse. So he walked out into the rain in the direction of his home, but the sound of thunder threw off his focus and he turned in the direction where it was most likely coming from. Marco only saw the building across the street, a few lights on and an overflowing gutter, but there was nothing special about it.

Even though there was nothing that he could possibly gain from the endeavour, his head told him to look at the roof, like he just _needed_ to look there. And that's where he saw a figure in the darkness, too far away to detail, but he had a feeling he knew exactly who was up there. His gut had a hunch, but he pushed the thought away. "There's no point..." he thought aloud once more, "She's got the advantage in distance. We'd never catch her anyway."

The figure started to walk away, out of Marcos field of vision. Marco laughed breathily, a gruff tone to his voice. "Letting the criminal get away..."

Rain continued to pour down, his hair soaked and droopy. The darkened brown of it fell into his eyes as he pushed it away.

"Next time will be different..."


	2. Chapter 2

Marco's mind raced as he walked back to his apartment, his head filled with new ideas, and different schemes. The rain still poured, but his hat kept the pellets from reaching his eyes. "Why is she taunting us? Why? What point does it serve, and more importantly what does she gain from this?" he thought as he pushed the numbers in his building's code to allow him entry. The metal clicked, and he pushed the door open. He slowly walked up the stairs, and reached in his pocket for his keys, struggling to locate them, and the discovering them in the other pocket of his jacket. His apartment was large, but seemed even larger to him. He lived alone, and was reminded of it everyday. He placed his jacket on the rack next to his door, and walked over to his work desk. Standing in front of the desk was his board where he kept the clues to the case. He stared at the board, reviewing the clues, and placing his new evidence on the board. His trance focused on the board, and as the time slipped he found himself becoming more, and more frustrated.

His bedroom was simple, a bed and a TV. His closet filled with only work clothes it's all he ever did. He placed his clothes in his hamper, and laid down on his bed, his gun on his nightstand, and his badge in his hand. He glared at it, and contemplated his position on the force. As his head rested on the pillow, he felt his eyelids become heavier and heavier, before finally he passed.

His eyes popped open at the sound of rustling in his apartment. His focus shifted to the outside of his room, and from there he reached for his weapon. "It's gone!" he thought as he scrounged for his gun. He popped out of his bed, and crept towards the door. His breath heavy, and his senses at their peak. He turned the corner, and looked into his living room, nothing. His confused look followed, and then his ears caught the sound of movement in the kitchen. He went back to his sneaking position, and walked slowly over to it. He peaked his head into the kitchen, and saw a figure reaching into his refrigerator. He crept up closer, and closer to the fridge, and just before he made the finally pounce, the figure spoke up.

"You can't sneak up on me, it's really hard. Like, ridiculously hard." The figure said. Marco stopped dead in his tracks, and listened to the voice it was feminine, and soft. "By the way, you really need to go shopping, you only have beer and left-over burritos in here." The figure stood, and the young man's face went blank. Stood in front of him, was a beautiful blonde girl, her face smooth and young with heart shaped decor on her cheeks. Marco couldn't help but blush at the sight of her, but was quickly snapped back into reality as the situation set in.

"Who...who are you, and why are you raiding my fridge?!" He snapped at her, letting his guard down for just a moment.

"I was hungry, okay, sneaking into places makes me hungry." She responded to him, as she pranced into the living room.

"That only answers one of my questions, now answer the other one." Marco demanded. The girl stood at his desk, and stared at the evidence on his board.

"You know, you seem to be the only one that seems so close to catching me, yet so far," The girl said. Marco's eyes went wide, there stood before his was the Butterfly thief, and him without his weapon.

"The Butterfly Thief, what are you doing here!" He lashed out. The girl paid no attention to his question, instead pulling out a cold burrito from behind her back and walking over to the kitchen table. Marco watched her in confusion.

"Hey, Answer me!"

She continued to ignore him and pulled the white wrapping paper off of the Mexican delicacy, licking her lips at the smell it let off. Now Marco was getting annoyed, he clenched his fists and looked over to his left without turning his head, looking toward the kitchen bench. There he saw a block of knives, each of them neatly placed in there correct position. The knives were close, only a few steps away, maybe he could pull one of them out and...

"Don't even think about it."

Marco looked back towards the thief in surprise, an arched brow wrinkling his forehead. The girl just pulled out a chair from the table and took a seat placing the burrito in front of her on the varnish-coated wood. "Those knives are pretty much useless against me."

That brought Marco's anger back, the veins in his arms beginning to bulge with his pulse beginning to rise. "And just what makes you think th-"

Before Marco could even finish, a loud bang rang through his ears and pain overwhelmed his arm. He stepped back clutching his left arm in his opposite hand, his eyes closed right and teeth gritting against one another to try and relieve himself if the sudden pain he was feeling. Marco continued to stumble until he hit the back wall of the room, where he tried to recover from the noise numbing his head.

He sat there for a few seconds, letting his body try its hardest to recover from the hell he felt at that moment. Once the pain became even the slightest bit bearable, he let his eyes open slowly, sweat starting to roll down his forehead as it shined in the light of the bulb overhead. He turned to look at his arm and saw that his pure white shirt had been stained a deep and solid red, like the richest of roses. Marco removed his fingers from his arm to inspect the wound, only to see that there was no bullet hole. There was a tear in his shirt and a deep cut across his bicep, but there wasn't even a bullet, just skin and blood.

"H-how is th-that..."

Marco turned back towards the thief in shock, looking directly at the gun she toyed with in her hand. That was his gun. The thief spun the weapon around her finger like a Western outlaw and set it down on the table. Pointing it towards Marco in a threatening way.

"That's what." She grunted, her eyes staring like daggers into his soul, piercing whatever confidence he had left and leaving him to cower in the corner of his own kitchen. She leaned back in her chair and picked up her burrito, looking ready to take a bite out of it. She brought the food to her face and opened her mouth wide bringing the soft tortilla closer to her food-hole, leaving the detective to sit in fear. However, before she was able to let her taste buds dance at the burst of flavour that would've been cold mince and cheese, a loud knock struck the door.

"MARCO?! ARE YOU IN THERE!? WE HEARD GUNFIRE!"

Marco turned to his shooter, who slowly approached him. He was scared, what was her next move? He tried to slip away, but wasn't able to move fast enough, before she was up in his face. She leaned in closely, leaving the tasty treat on the plate. He closed his eyes, awaiting the next move. That's when he felt the warm soft lips of his shooter pressed up against his. His eyes widened, and then they shut back again. It was a weird feeling, one he'd never felt before..it scared him, but excited him just the same. When they parted, he stared at her, then she went back for the burrito.

"That, my dear, is a choice. You have to mae it yourself, am I someone who's sweet, or am I someone who's sour? I'll leave the rest to you." Sher said grabbing the food, and pulling out a wand from her side. She took the gun , and threw it at him. Then holding her wand, she opened a portal, and then walked through. Just as quick as she arrived she was gone, and the door in his apartment was broken into, and tghe bewildered Marco stood in awe of what he had seen...


	3. Chapter 3

The office felt blank, after the night the mysterious burglar had made her way into his apartment, he felt uneasy. No place felt safe, no place felt secure. Marco spent his time flailing his eyeballs at every possible entrance. After having to explain to his fellow officers that his gun had gone off while he was cleaning it, he felt embarrassed. How could he tell them the truth of what had happened of what had happened without them making him feel like a victim? He knew what they would say, what they would do.

As he sat at his desk he again started to pour over the case file. The words on the page began to fade in and out as he remembered the kiss the two had shared as well. His face brightened, but he shook it off. He also remembered the portal that she had made. It was then that the thefts started to make sense. His head cleared, and he stuck his head in the folder, looking for anything that would be useful. He then saw the detail that stood out. It was a pictures of the first crime scene, they were taken from multiple angles. He examined all of them, when he saw something in one of the pictures, a piece of paper that was found there. He remembered that it was taken to the evidence room, and such began his march down to it.

He walked out of his office into the elevator that sat right outside of his office, as he pushed the button the door opened. Stood inside the metal contraption was the captain. His head turned as making eye contact was hard for him especially since he was avoiding running into her since his return.

"I'll take the...next...one," Marco said pushing the words from his lips. The captain's eyes turned to daggers, and she pulled him into the box, and she pushed the close door button.

"No, you're going to explain to me what really happened the other night, and don't feed me any of that gun cleaning crap. You have the best record of weapons on the force, I don't believe for one second you'd be so careless as to let something like that happen." exclaimed the captain. Her persistence was admirable, but Marco wasn't ready to tell her yet. Even though he had a crush on her, he couldn't face her.

"That's what happened though, what can I say? Sometimes it happens to the best of us." Marco responded haphazardly. His own tone deceived his words.

"You're full of it, Detective. I don't know what happened to you, but you're lying, and I will get to the bottom of it. I'm not just your captain, I'm your friend, you can tell me..." Jackie paused. She meant what she said.

"I promise...I'll tell you when I'm ready, though right now I'm following up on something, so please just let me go." demanded the young detective. Jackie sighed, and proceeded to exit the elevator. As the door opened she turned to him, and let in a breath.

"You better, or else..." Jackie replied reluctantly. Marco let out a deep sigh, as she left his field of vision, but his mind went back on the clue he had discovered.

The evidence room was musty, and cold. Marco had been to the room multiple times in his tenure there, but could never get used to it. As he searched the boxes, he came across his designated target. He pulled the box off the shelf, and carried it to the table which sat at the back of the room. Opening the box brought new light on the course of things, when Marco knew nothing of how the thief was making her way into the almost impossible break-ins. He removed the clue he had seen. It was a receipt that was for a hotel which was parked at the opposite end of the city. Originally they had disregarded it as a clue simply because of the distance, but if the thief could make a portal whenever she wanted too, then that distance never mattered. He peered it over until he saw the name of the hotel...The Glossaryk. That hotel was a swanky one, and cost a lot for even one night. He now had a possible location for the thief, and he knew what she looked like...

 _ **20 minutes later...**_

He had been driving for nearly ten minutes now. Rain hit the windscreen of his car over and over, they were like falling bodies from the sky. Each one managed to spread themselves upon impact with vehicle. That wasn't the focus however. Marco didn't know how long it would take to get to this hotel, but he did know that on arrival, some serious questions would finally get some answers. He pressed his foot against the accelerator pedal harder, bringing his speed up to the limit that was allowed in the area.

"Hopefully just a few more days... And then we've got her."Marco thought aloud. He repeated that phrase in his head continuously, trying to find ease from it. But it only made him clench his hands against the steering wheel. He didn't know why, but the thought seemed off. Like it didn't belong inside his head. "Come on Marco, get it together."But he just couldn't. Thoughts that he would've claimed were overgross or nonsensical had broken the barricades to his head, and they made sure they were noticed. Echoing throughout his mindscape like it was a cave. The noises they made were haunting, phantom-like. The voices made him twitch uneasily, his blood pressure undoubtedly increasing. Forcing the heart to pump harder. Louder. Faster.

" _It's all a mistake..."_

 _"_ _She's innocent..."_

 _"She can't be all that bad..."_

 _"Can't you just let her go?"_

 _"Why are you so hell bent?"_

" _Maybe she's just misguided..."_

" **SHUT UP!"** Marco barked, slamming his fists down onto the steering wheel with extreme force. His outburst causing the horn to blare into the darkness and rain. Marco slammed his foot down on the brake, his body jerking forward from the sudden lack of momentum. The car sat there in the storm, the tacking sound of rain on the aluminium frame being the only outside noise. Marco breathed heavily inside of the vehicle, his veins bulging from beneath his skin, his muscles tense and cold sweat beading on his face. Marco's knuckles were white from the excessive clenching of his fists. His teeth grinded against one another in anger, air being harshly forced between each tooth. His eyes slowly shifted towards the mirror, his eyes narrow and sharp. He stared at his reflection intensely.

"She is the _enemy!_ She's stolen countless valuable items, some of which were rare and irreplaceable!"

His voice was gritty and hoarse, venom laced around his words. Marco unclenched his fist and felt the blood flow back to his fingers, the fluid pulses through his veins harder than he could believe. He was furious, but he was only furious with himself. He felt emotions pouring through him, they were thick and desolate, they gave him fear. Fear of vulnerability. Fear of finding what truth actually lay inside that hotel. He felt anger towards himself, having the inability to just do his job. He felt sadness for his failures previously, he had solved many cases before, but not all of them. Most of all though, the one dominant emotion that rained supreme over his being right at that moment...

Confusion.

Who was he? Was he the super sleuth that everyone praised him for being? Or was he now weak, shaken. Refusing to fight the battle because he knows he'll lose. Or at least, is that what his minds telling him?

Only time will tell. And sometimes time doesn't speak at all. So with that, Marco just glared at himself in the mirror, looking deep into his own eyes, trying to find what lay beneath. Then he found what he was looking for, the only emotion that would help him get through the struggle at the moment. Determination. "I can't spend today trying to find myself." Marco took his foot of the brake and put the car into gear, moving his field of vision to the road ahead. "I've got better things to do." And with that, he drove off. Pressing his attention to his objective and that alone. He'd deal with the voices later.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm alive? Well whadd'ya know! Sorry for the hiatus everyone, I haven't been busy with life or anything this time, but I don't think I should dwell to much on explaining here. Review responses are going to be down at the bottom of the chapter. I hope you all enjoy.**

"What do you mean I can't trade this in!? It's the real deal dude!"

"Trust me ma'am, I'd love to believe you, but just look at the condition this things in. Cracks and scratches are all over the ceramic, and the quote un-quote "Platinum" is dented into mayhem. This is obviously a forged item."

"Like hell it is! The damn things over one-thousand years old, so I think it's held up pretty well."

Eyes peered over into a pawn-shop window to get a good look at the argument occurring. Clearly the customer wasn't pleased with the owners lack of co-operation. The girl at the counter put her head in her hands in frustration, making no effort to hide how much she thought the situation was complete BS.

"Man, I went to a lot of effort to try get this thing, you could at least cut me a break." She moaned, glaring daggers into the cashiers soul with her bright blue eyes. He let out a soft breath while shaking his head. "Alright, fine. I can make you a deal, assuming that what you've said is true. Now can you stop whining so we can sort through this, miss...? "

The girl let out a sigh of relief, straightening her posture and putting a small, but genuine smile on her face. "Star. Star Butterfly." The cashier nodded and set his hands out on the table, placing the cougar shaped object in the counter. "Alright then, Ms Butterfly, if what you're saying is true and this is the one of kind Kwanset te kuul... I'll be able to slide you about two, maybe three million."

That peaked Stars interest. It was considerably lower than what she'd want, but at the same time, it'd s enough to see her for life and luxury, maybe she's be able to find that detective guy as well and have a chance to talk things out. After all, she did enjoy that kiss they shared, even if it was just to swipe what was in his pockets while he was distracted. Not a lot of people can get her interest like that.

Back on the task at hand however, Star figured she wouldn't get much more than what the guy was offering, considering the place she stood wasn't quite built to a premium. So she nodded. "I'll take it, a sweet guy like you deserves a discount after all, right?"

The cashier laughed, "No need for compliments at this point, as far as I'm concerned, the moneys yours and this piece right here is mine" he said as he placed his index finger on the small metal statue. "Now I think it's best you get outta here before I start questioning how you got a priceless item like this out of the museum without getting caught."

That got Star to chuckle. And with a quick signing of a check and wave goodbye, she was on her way. While she looked over the check to see if it was legit, she pulled reached into her purse and pulled out a statue much like the one she had just given to the pawn shop owner, only less best up and a lot heavier in the hand. "God it's hard to craft stuff from aluminium, good thing that guy isn't very good at his job or I might've had a problem."

" _Poor guy probably fell for me as soon as I walked in. Happens with every other guy too..."_

As Star kept walking thoughts flooded her head, causing her to start thinking about all the men she'd fooled and deceived with using her looks alone. It made her feel awful when she did it, but sometimes it was necessary. Still, guilt ate away at her. So far, only one guy hadn't fallen for her. Detective Diaz was a tough cookie, but Star figured he'd break with enough pressure. Most people did...

But he wasn't like most people.

Marco was strong, determined. She'd watched him in her own time when she could get close enough, and she liked what she saw. Working every minute of the day at his desk, filing reports, calling witnesses for information, he even managed to keep his entire apartment clean to the point of spotlessness, and he had a gorgeous smile on his face through all of it. Star had never seen someone so in love with what they do for a living, and kind of reminded her of herself in a way. While he worked on the opposite side, she and Marco were still on the same coin. If only she could get him to change sides...

Stars phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking her away from her thoughts rather rudely. She rolled her eyes and pulled her bright pink cell out of her pocket. Just because she was a professional thief, didn't mean she couldn't glamour it up a little when it came to the small stuff. She looked over at the contact name, but didn't find one, only the words _'Private Number'_. Star blinked in surprise, answering the call and bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

A low, raspy voice answered, distorted and slightly muffled, but still perfectly understandable. They were using a voice distortion tool.

" _Star J. Butterfly?"_

"Who wants to know?"

" _Still sassy as ever I see. Nice to see you haven't changed since the last time we met."_

That threw Star for a loop. She'd _met_ this person?

"Mind telling me who's on the other end of the line?"

" _Ah-ah-ah."_ It said tauntingly. " _Can't give a name to a dead man, now can you?"_

"Sorry, but I was told never to talk to strangers, so I'm afraid our little chats going to end here."

 _"Not if you want that Diaz guy to come out of this alive."_

Now that caught her attention. With slight worry in her voice, she pressed on with the call, taking a moment to use the tracking software she'd installed a few months ago.

"Alright, I'm listening."

 _"Now that's what I like to see, a little co-operation can go a long way you know."_

"Get to the point."

" _Alright, alright. Jeez. To put it simply, I've got a job for you."_

"It's always business with you anonymous types, isn't it? What kind of job are we talking about here, because if you know my name and number, then I'm sure you know what I can and cannot do."

" _Yes, yes, I'm aware of the whole 'No killing' ordeal. But you don't have to worry, done right, no blood will be spilled anywhere, and the pay-off will be sweeter than that three million you just picked up."_

Star darted her eyes to look around, she hadn't thought there'd be people watching her at that moment, but all around, no one was in sight. Which in it's own right, was very unsettling. Yet still, when she spoke, she held up her casual tone.

"No need to taunt me. If I can get it done without a single body hitting the floor, then I'll do it."

The voice chuckled, _"My my, you seem very compliant today. But let me give you a little more incentive._ "

Stars phone beeped, signalling that the tracking was complete. She brought the phone down from her ear and looked at the screen, and saw the location pinned was a small town in local Oregon. She then returned to the call.

" _If you don't comply with everything I say, I'll have Marco Diaz's head roll. I know how much of a liking you've taken to him as well. I don't have him captured anywhere, so don't worry about that, but just know that with the snap of my fingers, he'll drop to the floor harder than Kurt Cobain."_

Star felt her pupils shrink at the mention of Marco. Still, she pressed on.

"You really know how to tempt a girl, don't you? I said I'd get the job done, wouldn't I?"

 _"Just making sure. I know you've deceived you're employers before. After all, I was one of them at a point in time."_

Once again, Star was thrown for a loop. So not only had she met this person before, but she had worked for him too? She always knew not remembering who she worked for would bite her in the ass one day.

" _So here's my offer. Don't screw it up..."_

 **Annnnnnnnnnd Cliff hanger! Feels good to be back, and once again, I'm really sorry for my hiatus. I don't want to delve deep into why I went away, but in short, I had depression, I worked through it, and know I'm back to loving life! But what really brought me back was one single review that I received in my inbox recently, seeing that reminded me if why I wrote here to begin with, and that's to make people smile! It was a short review, but that's all I really needed to jump back into this! So special shout-out to Advait2003. You'll always be a bro in my book.**

 _ **Exotos135:**_ **Hell yeah it is, and who knows, maybe it'll go somewhere. We'll just have to wait and see. Thanks bro, I really appreciate it.**

 _ **nightmareking:**_ **Well, it did come back at least. Hopefully I can continue to post for it as well. Thanks for the kind words Bro, hope to see more of your work soon too.**

 _ **Finnjr63:**_ ***Clicks tongue* Noice. Thanks bro.**

 _ **Friend:**_ **Hey! I did continue it, whaddya know!**

 _ **Advait2003:**_ **Thanks buddy, and it looks like you got your wish. Thanks for reviewing when you did, I really appreciate it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, welcome back to another chapter of the fic. Just like to remind you all that Lucafire1 and I have had done some debating recently and now I will be officially taking the rights to the fic.**

 _You can't kill me off that easily. I'm a demon I have multiple forms. Doesn't matter I have made my return. I HAVE SPOKEN_

 **Oh... Uhhhh... Well shit...**

The cold breeze of his air conditioner hit him like the ice of the arctic, Marco began to let his mind race.

 _"This is insane... I just need to go in, what the hell's the problem!?"_ he thought to himself. He jumped up ready to enter the hotel, but again he hesitated. He growled at himself ready to just start bashing his head against the steering wheel. The voices were starting to come back. His own fear was what stopped him but he felt something else going on inside of himself. It wasn't just fear but maybe an intrigue which he thought was the only thing keeping him from just turning the car around and returning to the station. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a coin.

"Heads, I go in, Tails, I go to the station and never bring this up," he said out loud to himself. He flicked the coin in the air waiting for it's descent back down. Time seemed to slow for it, as it made it's way back down. It landed on his dashboard, on it's side.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he said angrily. Finally, he made a call, and opened the door of the car. He looked at the hotel, and how tall it stood amongst the city background. This certainly was the place to find a girl who could steal any priceless thing she wanted, and it sure did reflect her personality, big, and right in plain sight. As he walked in he got looks from most of the employees working there, and he knew it was because he wasn't their clientele but he wasn't there to get pampered at some five-star spa, he was there looking for a thief, one who had broken into his home, and eaten his burrito. As he reached the lobby desk he was quickly met by a strange sight, a man with blue skin, and a blindingly white set of facial hair.

"Excuse me, sir I'm with the police, more importantly, I'm a detective looking for someone who I believe is staying here in this hotel." He explained to the man, who looked him up and down, and stared blankly at him.

"Well, it is not within my power to disclose the personal information of the residents of the establishment...unless you have something that might...persuade me?" The man said holding out his hand, Marco knew this all to well and reached into his back pocket, and handed the man a crisp clean hundred dollar bill.

"So, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do I start telling everyone here you take bribes for there privacy being disrespected?'

"Now, now, Officer...whatever your name is...man has to make a living and this job doesn't pay me well enough to care about anyone who actually stays here, though one guest has made me do so... but anyway tell me about this guest."

"It's a woman, young, blonde hair, and has hearts on her cheeks, really can't miss her." The man started to get nervous, with the last description Marco had given him, and started to clam up on him. That was it, he knew exactly who he was talking about, she was here now he could bring her in.

"I'm sorry O-Officer, I haven't seen any girl like that here, specially one that mysterious as you make her sound..." the Man said begrudgingly as he tried to back away from the counter.

"Did you know what your doing is called Obstruction of Justice, and boy I'd love to take you downtown, and ask you all these question in greater detail, while we wait on a lawyer to come on and represent you, just so that same lawyer can tell you it'd be better if you just gave me the same information you should give me right about...now." Marco said threateningly. The man took a second to think before it hit him the disparity of his situation.

"Look I don't know her name, she comes in tips me very well to make sure no one comes poking around here looking for you, but I didn't think it was because she was a criminal, maybe just a low level celebrity seeing how pretty she is. She stays in room 207, but you didn't learn that from me, so now how about you lay off." The man exposited to Marco. Now he had her and this time he would get the drop on her.

"Good, now give me my money back for all that trouble, would you now? I'd hate to bring you in on bribery charges." Marco smugly threatened as the guy angrily threw his money back at him.

He put the bill back into his wallet, and then started to head for the stairs with a satisfied grin on his lips. _"Sometimes it's just a little too easy..."_ and that thought alone got Marco to freeze in his tracks. What if it was _supposed_ to be too easy? That man behind the counter didn't seem all that resistant to give up the information he held, cash or no cash that was suspicious. Every other guy would've given fake information, or at least had some kind of defences in place if push came to shove, and by the looks of it, this guy seemed a little too nervous to not know anything about the guest. Sure, he could've just been a pussy, but Marco had a feeling that wasn't the case, since he was so confident for bribery in the beginning of their conversation.

"Is there a problem Officer?" the desk manager called out from behind. Marco looked at the floor for a moment, considering his actions. That employee was hiding something, and one way or another, he's one out what it was. Marco raised a finger in the air as if he'd just recalled something, and started to walk back over to the desk.

"Actually, yes there is and I'm so sorry to bother you with this, but it'll just take a minute, I promise." Marco had taken acting classes when he was younger, and they really paid off in situations like these. Using a false sense of apology and impatience, he knew he'd fool this guy. "I just need to ask a couple more questions and then I'll be out of your hair..." Marco then gazed at the top of the guys head, "...or what's left of it anyway." He chuckled with fake nervousness. The man patted his head with slight annoyance and glared Marco in the eyes.

"That was a unnecessary and rather hurtful comment, but I don't like to hold grudges, so ask your questions and let's s done with it."

That got Marco to brighten up instantly. Taking out his notepad and pen, he then cleared his throat and looked back at the desk manager. "So, first things first. What is your name, and how long have been working at this establishment?"

The man rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated breath through his nose. "My name is Glossaryk, yes that's the full name. Spelt G-L-O-S-S-A-R-Y-K. And to answer your other question, I've been working at this hotel for as long as it's web standing. I built it from the ground up with no one's assistance but that of my own will."

As Marco wrote down what Glossaryk said, he raised a brow in question. "But this hotels been standing for well over one-hundred years, the plaque outside literally says " _ **Built in 1876**_ ", so either your lying or you're just really goddamn old."

"Ah, but you see, when you look below that date of construction you can see my signature written plain and simple in that plaque. And I can even prove its my handwriting, do you have a pen?"

Marco offered the pen in his hand to Glossaryk, who happily took it and started writing on to a small snippet of paper. Once he'd finished, He handed Marco his pen back and slid the slip of paper over to him. Marco picked it up and read over the signature, and from what he could remember, it did look very similar to the signature he had seen just outside. He took a couple more seconds to look over it, and then placed the slip back onto the table.

"Alright then, the signature checks out, and I guess your beard is long enough to signify you are well over one hundred years old. No offense."

Glossaryk didn't react to Marco's remark, finding proving him wrong to be enough glory with a expression on his face that screamed 'Suck it'. "Alright then, back to the questions, did anyone occupy the room before our criminal in question? I mean, you must keep a record log around here somewhere."

Glossaryk stroked his facial hair in thought. "I remember that we did have one, but it became pointless ever since we started using the key card system a while back. Now we have computers up by each door that ask the users information the first time they enter, and when they leave, it resets for the next person."

Marco seemed impressed at what Glossaryk had mentioned. Considering how old the place was, he didn't think it'd be so up to date and future-proof. As a bonus, Marco would be able to download the logs and be able to keep a personal track of them at his own computer. "Do you mind if I check those logs? I'd like to be able to track who comes in and out at what time. It'd be more efficient for both of us, since I won't have to constantly come in here to check them, and you can enjoy your down time and a whole lot less of me."

Glossaryk leaned in and raised an eyebrow. "Promise?" he questioned, making Marco slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah."

Glossaryk then kicked open the door leading behind the main desk. Right into Marco's stomach. He fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, while Glossaryk smiled brightly and watched him writhe in agony. "Feel free to access the computers and do your little downloady-doo-da thing. I could never figure out how to work those darn things anyway. Who puts windows in a computer? Aren't they meant for walls?"

Marco still groaned in pain in the floor, looking off to the wall. There were a lot of thoughts going through his head at that moment, like how he was going to kick Glossaryk's ass six ways from Sunday. But now he would be able to see when the Butterfly thief showed up, and be able to finally put her under wraps. The pain would be worth it in the end, because now he had that girl in the palm of his hand.

He just needed to close a fist.

Here are the review responses!

 ** _Guest Sorta:_ Haha, yeah it's been a while and I'm glad to be back. And thanks! It's it as great as your work though! **

**_Advait2003:_ I've got a little more than suspense killing me inside right now, lucafire1's a tough guy afterall. And Thank You for reading the fic! Both Lucafire1 and I appreciate it dearly, and the shout out was no problem! **


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